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53 signs you work in public relations

Editor's note: This story first appeared on PR Daily in October 2011. The first 11 signs were written by Lauren Fernandez. (The story originally appeared on Fernandez's blog.) The next 42 signs are comments from readers. The story remains one of PR Daily's most popular.

1. Your day starts and ends with a cup of coffee.

2. You can power-walk in 5-inch heels with your laptop bag while checking your smartphone.

3. Inside jokes with your colleagues will get you through the day—especially the insanely stressful ones.

4. You constantly engage in “PR is dead” and “the press release doesn’t have a place in business” arguments.

5. You are so used to putting the client first that you usually forget to eat lunch.

6. It’s detrimental to your health and workday when you forget your headphones.

7. You can toggle among a PowerPoint presentation, a press release, Twitter strategy, and PSA outlines—all in an hour.

8. You recite billing codes in your sleep.

9. You preface Happy Hour with: “Sorry, I need to keep my phone on the table. I have to be connected to email and phone just in case.”

10. You know more about AP style than Microsoft Office. Because of this, you’re a regular in the IT department.

11. You proudly put “PR pro” in your Twitter bio, knowing it’s the one place you don’t have to explain your job.

12. Your speed-dials connect to the CEO, CFO, CIO, CRO, and Arby’s.

13. Your smartphone sleeps with you every night. Your better half does not.

18. Your home number is on your office voice mail "just in case a reporter calls," and non-PR people regularly express surprise that you'd let it out. You don't understand why they even think that. (Source)

19. The first thing you do when you start your day is "communications triage," and it often begins at home. (Source)

20. Your client wants to be on Oprah. Alternately, you are beyond grateful that this is Oprah's final season—so you never have to hear a client say they want to be on Oprah again. (Source) (Source) [Editor's note: Not so fast—now Oprah has her own network.]

21. EVERYTHING in your life—from doing the laundry to playing a round of golf—is recorded in your mind in 15-minute billable increments. (Source)

22. You set three alarms to rise at 4 a.m. to make the early morning in-studio segment. (Source)

23. You engage in weekly conversations with your clients that start with, “Why weren't we included in this WSJ article?” (Source)

24. You've heard all the lines about sleep: "Sleep is overrated." "You can sleep all you want when you die." "Do you ever sleep?" (Source)

25. You start your day by digging out of client and competitor alerts and checking email, all before you're out of bed. (Source)

26. You check HootSuite in the morning before you get out of bed just to monitor what has been said about your clients overnight. (Source)

27. Every Friday around 5:00 p.m. you think, “This could be crisis time!” (And sometimes even look forward to a good one.) (Source)

28. You know what time it is anywhere in the world and every country's phone code, all without having to look at a reference guide. (Source)

29. You're afraid to go more than 15 minutes (max) without checking Twitter/Facebook/news feeds to make sure you're not missing anything. (Source)

30. You rely on to-do lists (yes, plural) to get you through your day, but often don't get to cross anything off until 4 p.m. (after managing a few surprise crises). (Source)

31. You wake from a dream in the middle of the night, rolling over to grab the pen and paper you keep on your nightstand to jot it down so you won't forget an idea for yet another crazy PR stunt. Work on the mind during the day and work on the mind while you sleep! (Source)

32. You can't look at or listen to any form of media without thinking, "My client should be on/in that." (Source)